The pairs are up

With the team skate complete, attention turns to the traditional figure skating events. The competition starts with the pairs’ short program (7 a.m., live on NBCSN). Russians Tatyana Volosozhar and Maksim Trankov are the reigning world champs and heavy favorites. The American tandem of Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir finished fifth in the short portion of the team event.

Brink of breakthrough

Erin Hamlin is attempting to become the first American athlete to medal in the luge singles: She’s in third place entering the final day. And how’s this for an upset: NBC has deemed the event worthy of holding for an afternoon broadcast on the mothership.

Welcome to Games

Women’s ski jumping makes its Olympic debut. The American to watch – perhaps for many years – is 19-year-old Sarah Hendrickson of Park City, Utah. All of 95 pounds (on a 5-foot-4 frame), Hendrickson tore ligaments in her knee in August and was named to the U.S. team despite missing months of competition. She’s that good. The event will be shown live at 10:30 a.m. on NBCSN.

In line for a medal?

Former inline skater Heather Richardson is the top U.S. medal hope in the 500-meter long track. Projections have her winning the bronze, but if Richardson takes home the gold, she’d become the first American to win the 500 long track since Bonnie Blair in Norway in 1994. The medal race won’t be shown live.

Full bore in halfpipe

In a nutshell: Shaun White attempts to become the first American male to win the same event at three consecutive Winter Olympics. White, if you’ll recall, withdrew from the slopestyle because of concerns about the course and decided to concentrate on his signature event. Now there are questions — from White and others — about the viability of the halfpipe’s construction. Don’t look for a live broadcast — this is a prime-time event all the way. White’s competition includes Switzerland’s Iouri Podladtchikov, better known as “I-Pod.”

Prime-time lineup

If NBC’s primetime broadcast is the center of your Olympic world, here’s the scheduled lineup for tonight: White’s bid for gold in the halfpipe and the pairs’ short programs will dominate the coverage. In addition, expect highlights from the women’s slopestyle skiing and ski jumping, especially if Hendrickson wins.

Sneak peek

The United States and Canada, the best women’s hockey teams in the world, collide in the wee hours Wednesday in a qualification-round game. The winner will be the top seed in the semifinals. Fans of alpine skiing in general and Squaw Valley’s Julia Mancuso in particular have reason to stay up late: The women’s downhill starts early Wednesday. It won’t be televised until NBC’s primetime broadcast that evening.

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